


Father Figure

by Rosaline898



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fatherhood, Fix-It of Sorts, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28564101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosaline898/pseuds/Rosaline898
Summary: The Nanadaime didn't admit defeat easily... except when it came to fatherhood. If only he'd had the chance to see how his own father would have done it, maybe then he'd be a better father himself.In which Naruto the Nanadaime travels back in time. In which the past is altered... and the future? That's left to be seen.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Boruto & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 23
Kudos: 73





	1. The Missing Hokage

Naruto, Sasuke knew, would never leave the village unattended without notice.

However much of an idiot he often was—an "usuratonkachi," Sasuke would often mutter—Sasuke knew better than anyone that Naruto cared deeply for the Hidden Leaf Village and disappearing one ordinary evening, completely unnoticed and completely unbeknownst to anyone as to _why_ , was not in his character. Something was not lining up.

He called an emergency summon immediately, sending his hawks out to summon the few he could trust with this fragile information. He could not let the village people know that their Hokage had gone missing—that would cause more panic than necessary. The Uchiha did not consider himself worthy of making decisions in place of the Hokage, but even Sasuke knew telling the village would simply cause unnecessary, irrational fear to be invoked. Sasuke may have preferred to stay in the shadows but right now, he knew something had to be done immediately.

So he stuck by his decision to summon the meeting.

First to arrive to the Hokage's office was Shikamaru, appearing as he would to any other day-time summon even though it was nearly three in the morning. His hair was pulled tightly into its usual pony and he wore a plain grey jumpsuit with a long, tan overcoat. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, taking notice of his fresh appearance at such hour of the night.

Neither were one for small talk so Sasuke cut straight to the chase, deciding those who arrived later would have to be debriefed. Time was of the essence, after all.

"Naruto is missing," he said in his usual monotonous tone. He was more nervous than he let on but hid it well. He had years of practice in hiding his emotions. This was no different. "Hinata informed me using one of my emergency messenger birds just a few minutes ago. He never returned home in the evening like he'd told her he would and when she came to the office to bring him a change of clothes, he was gone. There were no notes or messages left and the ANBU guards were dismissed early in the evening."

At this, the silver-haired Rokudaime appeared in a poof of smoke. "I apologize for my tardiness, I broke a mirror getting dressed and had to take the long way to avoid any black cats, lest I be double unlucky," he said, stifling a yawn. Upon reading the stiff situation, he straightened up and furrowed his thin brows. "What's the meaning of this?"

Shikamaru sighed, which he did quite often, but tonight's was heavier than usual. "Nanadaime is missing," he said bluntly. "Dismissed his ANBU early and never returned home this evening."

"Hinata is on her way too, but had to drop the kids off with Sakura," Sasuke added, leaning against the desk covered in stacks upon stacks of paper, books, and file-folders. Almost as if on que, Hinata came quickly and quietly into the room. Her brows looked permanently furrowed and eyes were filled with wary concern. "Naruto would never leave unannounced like this, so I summoned you all here to discuss what's next."

"Hm," Kakashi hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin in the process. "You're right, it's quite strange, though I don't think we should automatically assume he was captured. It would take a damn strong shinobi or three to capture Naruto unnoticed."

People nodded and hummed in agreement, filling the otherwise silent office.

"Protocol says Kakashi takes office temporarily while Shikamaru gathers search parties," Sasuke uttered robotically, though his single visible eye loomed with uncertainty.

Kakashi took immediate notice and, with a heavy sigh of regret, decided to do the dutiful thing and step up. Retirement was wonderful, but he was needed right now—and comrades always come first.

"This information will be highly confidential. Only ANBU and those heading up searches will know the details. The public will not know of the Nanadaime's disappearance and will simply be informed that he is out of office," Kakashi spoke with confidence and purpose, a grave contrast to his usually uncaring tone nowadays. Retirement's been treating him well, but Kakashi knew the severity of the situation. And as the Rokudaime, it was his responsiblility to step up in times such as this. "Shikamaru will head the within-village search, so he's nearby if we need him. Sasuke will travel to villages on our red-list, using his visual prowess to seek Naruto out. I will dispatch various ANBU teams to search the Land of Fire and neighboring lands. All information is to be relayed using Sasuke's birds back to myself. Let's find our Nanadaime and ensure he returns safely." Kakashi obviously wanted Naruto to return. Despite the uncaring attitude he often presented, he really did care for his student. And, if Naruto were to disappear, Kakashi would inevitably be taking office again until the eighth Hokage could be instated, and that was about the _last_ thing Kakashi wanted.

A few nods from everyone and Hinata offered to contact the ANBU Commander and summon him to the Hokage's office.

Kakashi agreed. "And everyone," he added before people dispersed. "Remember to keep this information confidential. Nobody can know our Nanadaime is missing, especially enemy lands."

"We're going to find him," Sasuke stated. Sasuke didn't lie nowadays. Lying was something of his past. He lived in the shadows but spoke only the truth, with the exception of protecting confidential information, in which case he stuck mostly to half-truths. But he knew in his heart that the Nanadaime would return, because however much of a _Number One Unexpected Knucklehead Ninja_ he was, Naruto loved this village more than anything and swore to protect it like his family. He _would return._ Naruto would find a way out of whatever situation he was in, no matter what it took, because he never gave up. That was his way of ninja—his motto, his way of life; the essence of his very being.

_~ Approximately 8 hours prior ~_

Naruto leaned back in his chair, looking dreadfully upon the stacks and stacks of paperwork he had yet to finish. He glanced up at the clock: 7 pm. He'd told Hinata he'd be home by 9.

Sighing, Naruto let his eyes flutter closed. For only a moment, he allowed himself to re-live certain moments of his life. Running the streets of Konoha with a bucket and paint brush, graffitiing anything that looked remotely important. Proclaiming his very audacious plan to become the Hokage in front of his entire academy class, earning him only scoffs and giggles. Meeting Team 7 for the first time, sitting up on the roof of the Hokage Tower and telling of their dreams for the future.

If he knew the future involved 90% paperwork and 10% cool Hokage stuff, he wondered if he still would have chosen this path as a child.

Obviously now, he would never change anything. He'd matured a lot in his teenage and young-adult years. While his ultimate goal to become Hokage remained the same, his reasons for doing it changed. He wasn't the kid who wanted everyone to acknowledge him anymore. When became the young man everyone looked up to following Pein's assault on the village over a decade ago and after the war, Naruto realized at that point how wrong his intentions had been all along.

One didn't simply become Hokage so that others would acknowledge them. On the contrary, the Hokage was someone people _already_ acknowledged and who acknowledged the people.

This village was his family no matter how he framed it, and the Hokage's main purpose was to ensure the village ran soundly and everyone was protected. In times of peace such as this, things ran smoothly more often than not. Even when things didn't go according to plan, there was never fear like there used to be. That was one benefit of living in times of world peace and complete alliance with the major elemental lands.

Naruto, and many others, took great comfort in the peace and stability that had been ensured following the Fourth Shinobi War. They hoped this peace would continue to take place for a long while, too. Forever would be nice, Naruto dreamed, but he knew that thought was irrational.

Nothing lasts forever, especially not world peace.

Stifling yet another yawn—it must be the fiftieth this hour—Naruto decided to leave the paperwork for tomorrow. It wasn't often he made it home for dinner with his wife or kids, and he knew how much his presence meant to them all... especially Boruto. He'd been told that Boruto had begun acting up in school, purposefully failing to get the attention of the teachers and, they suspect, the Hokage. Naruto couldn't help but notice it felt like just yesterday that was young Naruto himself, trying to gain the attention of any person he could... even if it meant painting all over the Hokage stone faces only to be lectured by Iruka and spending the next nine hours scrubbing it off.

Naruto didn't admit to failure very often, but he would admit to one thing: When it came to being a father, he had no idea what he was doing.

Naruto never had that constant father-figure growing up. There were men who felt fatherly, yes, such as Iruka-Sensei or the Pervy Sage, and even Kakashi-Sensei sometimes... but none of them were constant and none of them could truly fill the gap that his own father, Minato the Yondaime, had left unfilled.

Thank the gods that Hinata was such a good mother, Naruto thought, or else he would truly fear for Boruto and Himiwari's well-being.

Naruto dismissed the guards early, deciding to take a little brain-break before heading home to spend time with his family. As he walked through the village, people smiled and bowed. It filled him with a certain warmth that he still could not get used to. He was just now realizing how his father must have felt, being the respected Hokage that he was.

It was no secret that Minato was loved by everyone since day one. Kakashi had told him stories that Minato was never able to tell to Naruto himself—stories about Minato's childhood. Kakashi, being Minato's student, knew quite a bit.

Naruto's favourite story was the one about how his mother and father met. Though, who could resist a good love-story, especially when it involved two people Naruto loved so very much? He only wished he could have heard it from his father himself. Kakashi's version was a bit... tacky. He enjoyed the stories about his father's badassery, of course. He'd heard about his profound sealing abilities and the Flying Thunder God technique, something Naruto secretly always wanted to learn. Who wouldn't wanna be able to teleport? It was the Nidaime's technique originally, but Minato perfected it and used it to a brilliant extent, so well in fact that he had a flee-on-sight order. Naruto may be biased, but he considered his father nothing short of an absolute _genius._

He only wished he'd had so much more time with him; not just to learn his awesome jutsus, but to ask questions about how to be a good father. Naruto was sure Minato would have been the best father there could be—he was a genius, after all. There's so much Naruto wished he could have learned from the legendary Minato Namikaze.

But there's no use dwelling on the past. Boruto and Himiwari were seemingly happy children, for the most part, who were succeeding and progressing well. Naruto may not have known the best parenting techniques or even been around much for that matter... but he still loved them beyond belief. Nothing could ever change that—no past, no lack of experience, nothing. Nothing could come between Naruto and the love he had for his family.

Maybe that's what made Minato such a good father for the short amount of time he _was_ a father. He _literally_ didn't let anything come between him and his child, not even the nine-tailed fox. His parents sacrificed their lives for their son and for the village— _that's_ how much they loved him. And that's how much Naruto loves _his_ village and family, enough that he would be willing to die if it meant saving them from harm.

Naruto found himself outside of the village, near one of the unofficial training grounds. Being outside the village walls, not many went there to train, but it was a special hidden gem for those who did. Mostly chunin and jonin, since genin and academy students weren't allowed outside the walls without a note and an escort. The trees were thick and full, offering great shade from the blazing-hot sun which usually beat down during the day. Tonight, it offered branches for many birds to bid their evening songs. A stream and soft waterfall offered a beautiful scene as well as serene place to cool off. Just past the waterfall, down stream a bit, was a small old fishing hut. It was one of the few structures that remained after Pein's terrible destruction of the village many years ago. Now, it was used as a storage shed for old village artifacts—a strange place to hide valuables, yes, though an unexpected and some even argue _discreet_ one. Hiding them in the basement of the Hokage tower with the other locked-up items was far too obvious and probably the first place intruders would look.

He'd been in the shed exactly once before, to take out of stow a box of the Sandaime's old things for Konohamaru, once he'd reached what Naruto considered a _mature enough_ age to handle such valuables. Konohamaru did have a tendency to be sporadic in his younger years. It was mostly old tools and useless oddities, though he knew how much Konohamaru's grandfather meant to him so he agreed to finally give him the box on promise Konohamaru would take good care of the items. They were artifacts belonging to a legendary shinobi and Hokage, after all.

Naruto knew some of his father's items were stored in the shed but had neglected visiting until now because visiting would bring up feelings of nostalgia and regret—both for the man Minato was and the man he never had a chance to be.

But today was different. Today, Naruto felt a pressing need to finally give in and take his father's box home. If Konohamaru could do it, so could he.

It would mean questions from his children. He wasn't ready for those kinds of questions, but knew he never would be. No parent is ever prepared to tell their children the details of their deceased family members... Details of a retched past, a time way worse than the peaceful one his children now knew. His kids may never know the world like Naruto or his father before him knew it, and he was glad for that. A world without war was worth preserving. For so long, he wanted to keep it that way. But he also wanted to honor his father and mother's legacy. They deserved that, at least.

So he would bring the box home tonight, no matter how unprepared he felt for the conversations that would inevitably ensue.

But first, Naruto decided, he would go through it himself. This box was a bit of a pressing subject, and he felt he needed some time to go through it alone first. Time to react without the watchful eyes of his wife or children. Time to be open and raw and real. He would never admit it to anyone, but time to possibly shed a few tears.

The shed smelled of mold and metal. The walls were lined with various tools that had rusted over the years. In the corner was a bin filled with fishing rods and on a shelf beside it were canned worms and extra hooks and fishing lines. He left the door open to air out some of the musty smell.

Naruto had to climb over wooden crates, buckets, and boxes to get to the box of Minato's things buried in the corner. Characteristically, his foot caught on a floorboard sticking up and he fell face-forward into an old box of shinobi vests. An unmanly screech escaped the Nanadaime's lips when mice started scurrying, dispersing in all directions. Finally, after taking a moment to get up and compose himself, Naruto made it to the old box in the corner.

It was a simple cardboard box but was taped closed, keeping the dust and dirt out. He noticed one of the corners was a bit chewed but it seemed the mice quickly lost interest and moved onto one of the more accessible boxes. _Like the box of old vests, which appeared to be their main place of refuge,_ Naruto thought with a cringe as he avoided that particular box like the plague from that point forward.

He ripped the tape off but carefully, wanting to preserve the cardboard. This was his _father's_ box, even the cardboard was precious to him. Upon opening it, his initial suspicions were proven true. The mice had surprisingly found no interest in the contents of this box. The first thing he saw was the Yondaime's white cape with orange-red flames climbing up the back. It brought back memories of the red and black flame cape he wore when he fought against Pein. Surely, that uniform was intentional. Jiraiya knew it before Naruto ever did. It filled Naruto with warmth to think that Jiraiya was honouring Minato's legacy through his son before Naruto had even known who his father was.

Naruto remembered buying that cape. He bought it on his very last travels with his former teacher. Just like the orange and black jumpsuit he helped Naruto pick out when he grew out of his blue and orange childhood one, Jiraiya had picked the flaming cape out and told Naruto it was very fitting. Looking back now, Naruto remembers a flitting look of nostalgia in Jiraiya's eyes that Naruto had passed off as a "my pupil is growing up" look at the time. Only now was Naruto able to finally understand the true meaning of that glimmer in his teacher's eyes.

He hung the Yondaime's cape over the open door as he continued rummaging through the old box.

There were pictures galore, and most were in almost pristine condition. Naruto decided he'd go through with Hinata and pick a couple to frame. _Yes_ , he thought, a smile forming on his lips. _I'd like that a lot._

He noticed in particular a picture of Minato as a child. He couldn't help but almost laugh at the similarities child-Minato held to Boruto. For interest's sake, Naruto pulled out a picture he kept of his family—one he always kept there, folded nicely in his pant pocket. It was the photo taken on Naruto's inauguration day. He stood tall in traditional Hokage uniform, hat and all, with Hinata on his right and his children in front. In the background, his newly carved stone face could be seen beside all the others. He laughed out loud when he remembered that it technically wasn't even him in the picture, just Konohamaru transformed into him. That was the day Himiwari went bozo on him and shocked the hell out of him and Kurama, knocking them both out just in time for the ceremony. He held the two photos side by side—the one of young Minato, and the one of his family. He never realized before how much Boruto looked like Minato. Another smile found its way upon his lips as he placed Minato's photo back in the box and folded his family photo back up and slid it into his pocket again.

Suddenly remembering his promise to be home by nine, Naruto checked the time. It was only eight, he still had time.

His fingers skimmed the special kunai knives that took up most of the box. They had custom made handles with beautifully painted seals. Even the metal was pristine, having been preserved in the box for all these years. Many scrolls lined the bottom of the box. He saw the one for Rasengan and opened it up, noticing all the empty spaces. _That's right_ , he thought. _It was still an unfinished jutsu_. Naruto made a mental note to finish filling in the scroll. Maybe he could then pass it down to Boruto some day. Or Himiwari, if she ever decided to learn the Rasengan.

Naruto placed the scroll back safely in its place and was about to close the box and head home with it when his eyes caught on one scroll in particular. He was going to read the rest of the scrolls at home but something stopped him when he noticed this scroll. It had a ribbon wrapped tightly around it. Whereas the other scrolls were scribbled and mostly unfinished, this one looked specially encrypted.

Carefully, Naruto removed the Flying Thunder God scroll from the box and tugged tenderly on the ribbon. It flipped open with a flutter and Naruto's eyes nearly popped right out of his head.

"What the hell is this!?" he exclaimed, pulling the scroll up closer to his face to observe the strange letters. It appeared to be written in some foreign language.

As part of Naruto's Hokage training, he had to learn to identify many foreign languages. Thankfully, he never had to learn to read them all. That task was left up to the decrypting section of the Intelligence unit nowadays. But immediately identifying _what_ language a scroll was written in was important for the Hokage to know. Only, Naruto didn't recognize this language at all. The characters were completely foreign and didn't resemble any language in the slightest. It looked... _made up._

It would be ridiculous for his father to make up an entire language just for the sake of keeping this scroll a secret... _but not impossible._ Naruto acknowledged that his father was an intelligent man, a genius actually, so something like this was definitely not out of the question.

It pained Naruto to think that this scroll might never be translatable. But Naruto had a faint hope that Minato had written the language down _somewhere_ , and if it really did exist, he was determined to find it.

He would take it home and show it to Shikamaru first, who could pass it off to the decryption team to see if there was any way to understand its contents without a translation manual.

But, just as Naruto was rolling it back up and getting ready to leave the shed once and for all, he noticed something peculiar about the letters. They looked oddly familiar, but Naruto could not figure out why. He opened the scroll once more, flipping it upright and glaring at the page but they seemed to lose all familiarity, once again seeming like completely foreign letters.

Naruto was never an A+ student, not by a long shot, so when he realized the trick to reading it, he nearly leaped for joy. Flipping the scroll back upside down, the way you would before you roll it up, the letters started to look familiar again. After looking harder, he noticed that they were just regular kanji letters written upside-down, backwards, and with some words or letters purposefully missing or replaced by meaningless symbols.

Of course, that would throw anyone off. And if not for Naruto deciding to give up and roll the scroll back up... and, admittedly, Naruto's inability to understand anything too complex... he never would have figured it out. They could have spent hours—no, days—trying to decrypt a supposed fake language that isn't fake at all, just moved around and modified a bit. Anyone stealing the scroll would think way too hard about it, trying to decrypt a non-existent code. He figured that his father assumed anyone gutsy enough to steal that scroll would have to be someone pretty powerful and intelligent, thus making the scroll impossible to read. If not for Naruto's mind for simplicity, he never would have figured it out. His father truly was a genius among men.

It took hours to figure out just one portion of the scroll. Naruto quickly lost track of time on that shed floor as he laid both the Flying Thunder God scroll and a blank scroll beside each other and wrote the translated version on the blank one. Some words were still missing and others Naruto simply could not figure out, but an outline was there and he could see the basics of the jutsu starting to take shape.

Feeling proud of what he'd accomplished, Naruto couldn't help but twirl one of the sealed kunai in his left hand while he read over his work so far.

Despite some successful translation, it was still written in words purposefully meant to confuse someone and the jutsu itself was really freaking complicated in the first place. Naruto wondered if he'd ever be able to learn it.

He stood up with a sigh, wiping dust from the floor off his pants.

Reciting the words he understood from the translated part of the scroll, he tried to follow the instructions and see where it got him. It might only be a small part of his father's jutsu, and probably would not work, but Naruto was impatient and eager and just wanted to give it a go anyways.

 _Like a reverse summon,_ Naruto thought as he concentrated chakra throughout his body. He had the summoning technique down very well, now he essentially had to do the opposite. He had to concentrate and manipulate his chakra in such a way that he could summon _himself_ into a dimensional void and re-summon next to whatever seal he has placed. Just this alone was _really fucking complicated,_ Naruto knew. Sasuke could teleport into different dimensions by concentrating chakra and activating his rinnegan. He wondered for a moment if a jutsu like this might be easier for an Uchiha.

This got him thinking about the Uchiha and how incredible their visual prowess really is. Something like Flying Thunder God would be child's play for someone like Sasuke.

Suddenly, Naruto released chakra he didn't realize he'd been holding. His head started to feel funny and he had to grab onto the wall to steady himself. The wall felt funny too, he noticed. Like it was holding him up but he couldn't feel it there. When he opened his eyes again, all he could see was a blurry mess of what appeared to be the shed. In that moment, Naruto's head felt so weird that he dropped the sealed kunai he'd been fiddling with all this time. When it hit, Naruto felt like his head got hit too. His senses were completely clouded except for the high-pitched buzzing in his ears and lurching in his stomach. He grasped his head, desperate to get control over himself, and fell to the floor.

"Agh!" he grunted, as pain filled his body. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to get rid of the dizziness he felt.

All of the sudden, almost quicker than it came on, the buzzing dulled and Naruto was left dizzy on the floor of the old shed, trying his best to not throw up. His best wasn't good enough, it turned out, because he heaved out the cup ramen he'd eaten for dinner a few hours ago.

Groaning with a terrible pounding headache, the Nanadaime sat against the wall of the shed for a few minutes as the buzzing in his ears faded. The headache didn't improve and Naruto decided it was best to leave the box here for now and come back for it another day. It would take all he had to just balance on his feet and make it back home, where Hinata would surely give him some headache-remedy of hers.

As he stumbled weakly back to the village, he made a mental note never to try that again without a full and complete understanding of the jutsu. Damn, that was painful.

It must have been around midnight because there weren't many people out, just a few drunks stumbling about. Naruto assumed he blended in well, stumbling around himself. He chuckled a little at this. What was Hinata going to think? He'd come home drunk a few times before. She was never very impressed. Hopefully she'd understand that this was purely an accident. He only wanted to try his father's jutsu... though his impatience did cost him a cup of cheap ramen and left him with a terrible pounding headache.

When he reached his house... or what he thought to be his house... he became very confused. For a moment, he thought he was lost. This wasn't his house at all. It should have been right there, only it wasn't. He didn't recall making any wrong turns, though his head was pretty fuzzy and he couldn't think all that straight.

Clutching a lamp post, Naruto bent down and blinked hard a few times, trying to clear his still-buzzing mind.

"Hey," someone shouted from across the street. He looked up but his vision was still blurry and spinning in circles, so he couldn't make out a face. He could only see the green vest and glimmer of a forehead protector off the light from the lamp. "Are you alright? You don't look very well," the man in green said as he approached Naruto.

"I- I'm just a little lost," Naruto managed to spit out, trying his best to keep his dignity intact. He could already see the news stories and gossip that would circle the village tomorrow: _Nanadaime Hokage stumbles around Leaf Village drunk._ He wasn't prepared for the lecture Shikamaru would surely give him—it seemed he picked up on Temari's terrifying lecturing skills more and more as time went on.

The man in the green vest gave Naruto a shoulder to lean on and led him to an apartment building Naruto actually recognized. They were the south jonin apartments, where most of the single jonin resided.

"I've got a floor cushion you can sleep on for the night," the man offered kindly. "It's not much, but it's probably more comfortable than a park bench." Naruto really just wanted to get home to Hinata but in his current condition, decided it would be better to accept the jonin's offer and go home tomorrow morning instead.

"Thank you," Naruto muttered as the jonin helped him up the stairs.

He didn't remember much else until morning. He passed right out on the floor cushion and slept the headache off completely. When he woke up the next morning, he felt completely refreshed.

"Good morning," the jonin said from the door way. "Perfect timing. I was just about to leave. I trust you're sober enough to get home on your own now?"

Naruto didn't feel like explaining the real reason for him to come stumbling into the village at midnight and, quite frankly, didn't think the jonin would believe it anyways. Nor did he want information getting out that he'd found and attempted to learn and execute the scroll containing Flying Thunder God. Naruto settled for letting the rumours and news stories fly.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, pushing to his feet and stretching with a big yawn. "Thanks man. I appreciate your hospitality."

With that, the jonin nodded kindly and left. Naruto felt weird standing in a stranger's apartment alone and quickly took to the streets. He knew his way home from here, and now that his mind was straight again, he was confident he would not get lost on the way.

People didn't look at him the same way they usually did. He wondered if news had already gotten out. Maybe his entire reputation was fried already. Shikamaru was really gonna pound him for this–

Naruto's thoughts were cut short when he peered up at the Hokage stone faces. He did a double take and blinked a few times, shaking his head to clear this strange vision he was seeing.

There were only four stone faces.

The first thought that crossed his mind was that someone had destroyed three of the faces overnight. Maybe by explosion... but Naruto was sure he would've heard that. Plus, the rock formation looked far too smooth for explosions to have taken place.

He bent over and nearly threw up when the other explanation crossed his mind.

_No. Not possible. Time travel isn't real. This is a dream. I'm dreaming. Damn, I really must've done it to myself by trying that jutsu without all the pieces–_

And then it hit him. He slapped himself across the face just to be sure, and it hurt like a bitch. Sure enough, Naruto realized his mistake.

He'd tried a damn complicated and powerful time-space travelling jutsu without all the pieces. What the hell was he thinking?! And of course it screwed up. Kurama's chakra tended to fuck a lot of things up when it came to chakra control and precision.

He didn't know all the details. Hell, Naruto was still trying to _comprehend_ the mere fact that he'd just travelled twenty... thirty... who knows how many years into the past!

Now he really did throw up, but there was nothing in his stomach. He just dry heaved as he clutched his stomach and tried to breathe properly.

There was very little going on in his mind, and also everything at once, if that was even possible. Naruto had never experienced panic like this. He was sure this was what a panic attack was, though he'd never experienced one himself so he had nothing to compare it to.

In the corner of his vision, he saw someone approaching. All of his previous suspicions were verified as a thirteen year old Kakashi Hatake approached him with a strange look looming in his single grey eye.

He couldn't hold back the words that escaped his knotted throat, "Holy shit."


	2. Eggshells

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am astounded by the amount of support already on this story, based just on the first chapter! For interest's sake, I'd like to share some stats with you. At the moment, there are about 120 people following this story (on all cross-posted platforms, with the majority existing on AO3 and FFN) which BLOWS my mind. The first chapter has also already reached over 1000 reads/views (again, I cross-post) and nearly 100 favs/kudos. You all are BLOWING my mind. 
> 
> What started as a simple idea and single chapter (that I thought may never be read or continued) quickly turned into a story I am SO excited to jump right into! Thank you all for the interest and support you've shown! Thank you to those who commented or left a review. They were helpful and inspiring.
> 
> Had a few people ask what my upload schedule will be so I figured I'd share the answer here. I don't want to rush this story because I only want to put out quality updates. Additionally, I'm aiming for longer chapters than I'm used to. I hope you all will be patient with me as I try to get this story out to you guys! 
> 
> Your comments are always appreciated:) You guys are freaking amazing, seriously. Thanks for bearing with me and, alas, enjoy the chapter.
> 
> ~R

The day was _almost_ perfect. Kakashi was enjoying his stroll, having been given the day off. All this ANBU stuff was exhausting. Kakashi wasn't sure what to think of it all. It didn't help that he felt like a genin again, stuck doing rudimentary tasks within the village until formation training with his new ANBU team was complete.

Kakashi was no stranger to drunk villagers. Being an ANBU, and a freshly assigned one at that, meant he dealt with this type of thing all the time. More often than not, he was stuck doing village security. Annoying but necessary before they'd let him go on any real ANBU missions. However much he wished he could write this man off as yet another village drunk, he got a strange feeling from the blonde who stood leaning over and clutching his stomach.

Kakashi didn't recognize him and he was sure he'd remember another blonde as bright as this one. There weren't very many of them, after all. Minato Sensei, the Yellow Flash, was specifically nicknamed because of his unique, bright yellow hair. There weren't many of them in any of the great nations. In fact, the more Kakashi examined the ill man, the more the man struck a certain resemblance with the Yondaime Hokage.

But Kakashi had no doubts. How ever strangely familiar he looked, this man was _not_ from Konoha.

"Where you from?" the ANBU asked flatly.

The blonde didn't answer, and instead leaned over to try and hurl—unsuccessfully—once again.

"If you don't answer me, I'll have to detain you."

Coming to, though barely, the blonde was finally able to make eye contact with Kakashi. His words were strained but clear nonetheless, "Holy shit."

Kakashi took a deep breath and let out an audible sigh. It provided little relief to the annoyance he was feeling. Even within that cold heart of his, Kakashi usually had some sympathy for drunks; most of them were just trying to get away from reality for a bit, something Kakashi could understand. But today, he had no patience for this man. It was supposed to be his day off and now he'd have to lug a drunk man to the hospital, write a report, _and_ visit Minato to inform him of the intruder. At nine in the _morning._

Another sigh—half groan this time—escaped his throat as he pulled the tall man's arm over his shoulder and helped him to the hospital. The man didn't say much, as would be expected, though Kakashi noticed that he seemed to be sobering up much faster than someone as drunk as he should have. Once they arrived at the hospital, Kakashi passed him off to a nurse, requested the blonde be kept under close watch, and proceeded to the Hokage's office immediately.

The silver haired nin never knocked and today was no exception. Barging nonchalantly into the Hokage's office was a habit of his which the Yondaime paid no mind to.

"Ah, Kakashi. I didn't think I'd be seeing you on your day off," Minato chimed. Kakashi waved it off with a single lazy motion, "What brings you?"

"Thought you should know there's an intruder in the village. He was pretty out of it when I found him. I've brought him to the hospital to sober up so he can be interrogated-"

"I'd like to speak to him before any interrogation measures are taken," the Yondaime added calmly. "You know my feelings about Morino's methods..."

"But Sensei... protocol says-"

"-Thank you, Kakashi," Minato stepped around his desk and ruffled his hand in his student's hair. "I will handle it from here. Go enjoy your day off." Frustrated, and a little deflated, Kakashi shrugged out from under Minato's hand. It was so like Minato to go about things the gentle way. If it were up to Kakashi, he'd send him straight to interrogation. Even years later, Kakashi could never quite understand his Sensei's soft heart.

"Sensei," he muttered adamantly. "I'd like to see this one through, if you don't mind."

This was unlike Kakashi and Minato knew it. Kakashi would take any opportunity to run away to a hillside and read alone nowadays. What was it about this drunk intruder that Kakashi was so interested in? Minato scratched his chin, trying but failing to read his student.

"Why are you throwing away your day off to see to another drunk?" The Yondaime asked, wondering why Kakashi was suddenly becoming interested in unimportant things. Just last week, Kakashi groaned at the prospect of doing village security. Now he wants to inspect some random drunk's intentions in the village, even suggesting he be interrogated immediately.

"He's an intruder."

"We get visitors all the time. Sometimes they have too much to drink."

"He has bright blonde hair."

Minato couldn't help but laugh at this, finding humor in the fact that Kakashi was so worried about an intruder just because of his hair color.

"Yeah yeah," the young ANBU murmured, having realized his own projection. Kakashi knew how dumb his blonde statement sounded. Hair color should barely flag a need for concern, but it just didn't sit right with him. Something about the blonde intruder felt off. "We should go. I left him with the hospital staff while he should probably be under ANBU watch."

Minato chuckled under his breath, again amused by Kakashi's avid concern over this drunken stranger, but pulled himself together for his student's sake.

"Alright then," Minato said before they went on their way.

* * *

"Sir, you were admitted to the Konoha hospital. Even if it was only for a short time, you are required to fill out this paperwork," the nurse made clear as she prodded a tired man with a small stack of papers until, finally, he took it and the pen and sighed as he glared down at the dreaded papers in his hands. He just couldn't get away from paperwork, even in the past. "You can skip the family history part if you want, but we really need personal identification information for our records. It's hospital policy-"

The nurse was interrupted when a knock on the door notified her of two figures' presence in the doorway. "Thank you, I will take it from here," the soft spoken Yondaime stated.

"Oh- Hokage-Sama!" She bowed almost immediately, "Of course." The nurse quietly prodded out of the room and down the hallway. Once she was gone, Kakashi closed the door behind him.

Minato wasted no time introducing himself, "I'm Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. I don't want any trouble, just to talk. You just tell me your name and where you're from, and what you're doing stumbling around Konoha. I'd prefer not having to send you to interrogation if possible--that's not really my preferred way of doing things. Besides, even I fall prey to a little too much sake every now and then..."

Naruto, despite all the thoughts racing rapidly through his head, couldn't help but notice Kakashi's eye roll.

Naruto was trying to process all the feelings that hit him at once. He didn't expect to come in contact with his dad this soon. He'd known based on Kakashi's age that his father was alive in this time period but hadn't yet mentally prepared himself for their encounter. He had to think fast. He couldn't straight up tell him he was his son from the future, could he? What would the Fourth Hokage think if a blonde man stumbled into his village and claimed to be the Seventh Hokage from the future who accidentally travelled back in time while using his own renowned Flying Thunder God technique?

It would sound ridiculous regardless of how he worded it. Naruto needed to come up with a quick bluff, and unlucky for him, quick thinking was not his thing. That was what Shikamaru was for.

A quiet hiss of frustration escaped the Uzumaki's lips.

"But know that I will not hesitate to order an interrogation if you do not comply," the Yondaime said with sudden confidence. Kakashi crossed his arms and _hmphed._ Naruto watched his father transform into a dutiful Hokage in a matter of moments. The softy that was there just a second ago had disappeared and transformed into a man that meant business. Naruto had to hold back the proud grin that threatened to pull on the corners of his lips. _The embodiment of kindness, yet feared by the nations. A true genius in every way._

At last, Naruto decided hesitantly on his first words to his unknowing father, "I'm a Namikaze..." he thought up rather quickly.

Minato tilted his head, confusion dawning on his features, "There were very few Namikaze left in the Leaf Village after Madara Uchiha massacred them, and I'm sure I would have known if there was another clansman my age dwelling in the village..."

"No, I'm not from Konohagakure. My ancestors left the village before the clan was destroyed. There were a few of us living on the border of the Land of Whirlpools for a while. We were hit with illness when I was young. I'm the only one that made it." Naruto was desperately trying to come up with a semi-believable bluff. It was hard making up such a grand lie in front of two of the most perceptive men he knew. He thought it might help to draw parallels from his own past to make his story sound more genuine, "I... grew up all alone. No parents, no idea who I was or where I belonged... but as soon as I heard there was another Namikaze in the Leaf Village, I had to come see for myself... I've wanted to meet you for a long time," _dad..._ though Naruto knew he could never speak the last part, no matter how much his heart ached to spill the truth. Telling Minato he was his son from the future could cause serious repercussions in the timeline.

This was about the most elaborate lie Naruto had ever told and he could only hope Minato and Kakashi would roll with it, regardless of its potential invalidity.

He sighed in relief when Minato restrained from commenting on his supposed back story but immediately felt at a loss for words again when he asked, "What's your name? Are you a shinobi? Maybe I've heard of you before."

If Naruto were to roll with this story, he still needed a way to convince the Yondaime to teach him the Flying Thunder God jutsu. It was possibly the only way Naruto could try and figure out where he went wrong in the first place and how he was going to get back to his own time.

"My name is Naruto... and yes, I'm a skilled jonin, though I doubt you've heard of me. I haven't exactly been around here before..." It was only partly a lie, but he couldn't tell them he was the Nanadaime Hokage from the future. Besides, he wouldn't need to use any techniques higher than jonin level here—Sage mode would be highly unnecessary. At this moment in time, Madara was still near death and the Akatsuki was nowhere close to making any big moves. The only threat were Kumogakure shinobi and Naruto was sure he could handle a few Kumo nin with just his rasen-

 _Damn it,_ he clenched his fist as he realized. There was no way he could use his rasengan without questions arising. It was an unrefined technique belonging to the Yondaime and showing a completed and improved version of it would be sure to raise suspicions. He'd have to stick to common techniques like taijutsu and shadow clones.

There was no easy way out of this situation. Naruto bit his inner cheek when he realized how tough getting back to his time was going to be without revealing his identity and potentially changing anything. Changing things could affect the future in good and bad ways, and Naruto did not want to risk the bad. 

* * *

The Nanadaime had been officially missing for 14 hours. Sasuke knew that time was of the essence and sooner than later, news of the missing Nanadaime would get out. He wasn't prepared to deal with the questions that would be fired their way because he didn't know the answers himself. 

_Where is he?_ Search parties had been tiredly looking for the last several hours to no avail. There are no trails left anywhere and no information other than the fact that Naruto released his guards at seven PM last night and never returned home for dinner by nine as he'd promised his wife. _Was he captured?_ With relative peace within the great nations, Sasuke doubted capture was the reason for his disappearance. And, as Kakashi stated, it would take a damn powerful shinobi or three to capture him completely unnoticed and without leaving any trails. _How will you find him? Will he be hurt? Will he be alive?_ The questions continued to echo in Sasuke's head as he roamed the lands, searching with the help of his rinnegan for _any_ traces of Naruto's chakra. It was starting to take a toll on Sasuke's already low chakra levels, this much use of his rinnegan, but he continued to push because these early hours could be vital.

At last, Sasuke knew he had to stop. If he continued like this without replenishing his chakra, he could pass out for several days. However much he resented it, he needed a break. Summoning another messenger hawk, he sent word back to Kakashi and Shikamaru in the village, notifying them of his progress... _or lack thereof,_ he thought with a sigh.

He tugged and picked at the grass on the forest floor beside him with his single remaining hand, throwing the strands away before tugging more. He'd worked on disappearance missions before but never one as vital as this. This was his best friend and not finding him was _not_ an option.

He knew they would find him--Sasuke had no doubt of that. Whether he'd be alive was the only question by which all Sasuke could do was hope. _Gods, he hoped._

* * *

"Well, the doctors say you're completely healthy and can't find an explanation for your nausea," Minato said, scratching his chin in slight confusion before waving it off. "Must have been your long journey here. You said you travelled a long distance in a short time, right? It must have just been acute chakra exhaustion."

"Something like that," Naruto muttered, quietly zipping his orange jacket up and following Minato out of the hospital. They walked in silence for a bit, neither sure quite what to say. "Hey," Naruto finally chimed in, hesitancy lacing his words. "I appreciate you letting me stay for a bit."

The Yondaime waved him off, a kind smile forming across his cheeks. "Even if you were an intruder, you're staying with me so you won't get far if you try any funny business."

Naruto chuckled at his father's cheeky confidence--must be where he got it from.

"The village is short on skilled shinobi as a result of the third war... Quite frankly, we can use everyone that's capable. You're benefitting the village by staying here so I have no doubts I can convince the council to let you stay. It'll be your chance to prove good intentions and loyalty, too, all while giving us a chance to get to know each other... that's what you're here for after all, right?" Minato gave a side-eyed glance and Naruto, after a moment of contemplation, nodded with cheeky enthusiasm.

Though that wasn't truly the purpose of his visit, (the true purpose being an accidental blast to the past), Naruto was grateful for the excuse to get to know his father better.

Almost as if on cue, Naruto's stomach grumbled loudly. Clutching his abdomen, he thought about the last time he ate--cup ramen for dinner yesterday, which he threw up in the old shed--and he wished for a moment he could go home for some of Hinata's cooking. A pang of sadness overtook him momentarily as he thought about everyone back home that were surely taking notice of his absence by now. He hated worrying people, especially his wife and kids, but had no choice in the given situation. He was stuck in the past and couldn't exactly communicate with them. _Or could he..._

Minato spoke again which snapped Naruto out of his daze, "My wife Kushina is going to be ecstatic when she meets you. And you're going to fall in love with her cooking, I'm sure. You'll fit right in, no need to worry."

These words were both a comfort and fear trigger for Naruto when he realized he'd have to keep his secret from his mother too. It felt so wrong in every way but he didn't have much choice.

"I have to do some visits and then we can head home for dinner," Minato said as he turned his attention back to the quietly buzzing streets ahead.

"Visits?"

"I stop by a few places, once a week. Started even before I became Hokage."

"Oh," Naruto echoed in reply, unsure of what to make of this. His curiosity was peeking, wanting to know more and more about his father with each passing second. It was a growing need inside of him. The seed was planted as soon as he found out in his subconscious many years ago that the Fourth Hokage was his father and being here with him just made him earn for more.

"You'll see," Minato added, noticing Naruto's furrowed brows and eyes far off in thought. Naruto fell prey to the sweet smile his father gave him in that moment. It was unlike any he had ever seen, even when he met him in his subconscious as a teenager or in their time working together during the fourth war. This smile was different than the proud grins he earned when he told his reincarnated father that Sakura was supposedly his girlfriend or the time he watched his father's ghost rise to the sky in their final moments after the war--it was unreadable; an expression he could not place. Naruto could barely contain the curiosity that pushed to be met, a need to know about these little parts of his father's life.

When they arrived at the building, a quaint little two-storey near the gardens, Naruto felt his heart warm as he realized where they were. A hospice. A place where shinobi and villagers alike went to spend their final days in peace and calm.

Naruto was seeing a new side of his father he'd never known about before. Adult Kakashi told many stories about Minato but this was never once mentioned. He wondered if anyone even knew about this part of Minato's life, or if it was just another one of many hidden gems he might never know about... or might; he was in the past, after all. It was oh-so tempting to take the reins of time and change things for the better. Naruto knew the dangers of messing with history but part of him still earned deeply for that which he was unable to have--a proper childhood, for one. If he'd had a proper childhood, would he have ended up a better father himself? Would he have more understanding of how Boruto felt?

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts once again by Minato's smooth voice attempting to make more conversation. It seemed this genius of a man was a great conversation man too, something Naruto usually prided himself in (such as the time he talked Pein out of destroying the world and instead into saving it) though for some reason had trouble making it with his dad. "Some of these people are ill from viruses and others living out their final breaths in comfort, having been injured in the recent war..." The sadness and regret in Minato's voice was evident and Naruto couldn't help but notice the soft furrow of his father's brows as he looked up at the hospice. They started for the door and Minato continued softly, inquiring yet respecting any invisible walls, "How was your life affected by war? Your parents died when you were young... and that arm of yours..."

"Oh, this?" Naruto clenched and unclenched his bandaged fist, looking down upon his prosthetic arm made up of Hashirama's cells. "I, uh, damaged my arm after the war, but it works fine now."

"War affected so many lives," Minato said, quickly moving away from the topic, to Naruto's relief. The Yondaime nodded and smiled softly to residents who waved as the two men passed.

"It changed my life completely," Naruto said honestly, rubbing at the bandages in his right palm. "Not a day goes by I don't think about the friends I lost."

Minato gives a sad smile, acknowledging Naruto's comment with empathy. "I completely understand. I lost people too. And I see that same heartbreak in many of those close to me. Especially Kakashi," Naruto perks up at the mention of his sensei. "So much happened to that boy. Life has been anything but kind to him. I worry what might happen to him if he loses anyone else."

Naruto tried to suppress the guilt that rippled through his body but couldn't. The burden fell hard on him--a burden of knowledge; knowing the details of Minato and Kushina's deaths and exactly how to prevent it. Knowing he could save Minato from death and Kakashi from heartbreak... and what used to be feelings of selfishness that waded him away from that thought were replaced now by guilt drawing him towards it, knowing he wouldn't just be saving Minato for his own sake but also for Kakashi's. Minato and Kushina were all Kakashi had left and Naruto had the power to save them. He had the power to change this part of history--to keep the humble Yellow-Flash and Red Hot-Blooded Habanero living and continuing to benefit this world with their presence.

He watched in a sad, confused sort of awe as his father met with dying strangers and offered them words of wisdom. The love he showed the people of this village was nothing short of inspiring. Minato was everything Naruto wanted to be and more, only he never had a chance to experience that influence in his life because he died too soon--Minato did what was his only choice at the time gave his life to ensure Naruto could have his. Only now it didn't _have_ to be the only choice. Naruto knew things about that night that could save them both, he just needed to find it within him to expose this information without exposing too much and potentially messing up the timeline for the worse.

Like walking on eggshells. Like balancing on a tightrope that was burning at both ends. Naruto felt a tugging responsibility to make things better yet knew so very well the dangers of doing so.

* * *

"Minato, you found your look-alike! I could swear you two are related or something," the red-headed woman yelped as two blonde men walked through the door. The mouth-watering smell of _something_ immediately overwhelmed Naruto's senses, even enough to distract him from Kushina's recent comment. He took in his surroundings--a beautiful entry way filled with potted plants and neatly lined shoes and slippers, all looking into a cozy living area with two couches and a pale-green rug.

When Naruto finally peeled his attention away from the welcoming apartment and made eye contact with his mother, he almost jumped at the intense glare she was throwing his way. It wasn't only her hair that was fiery and fierce. The look in her eyes as she examined her own son, though unbeknownst to her, filled Naruto with momentary panic. He swore she was looking on him with suspicion looming in her blue-green eyes.

Then, to Naruto's relief, she chimed, "You didn't tell me you had a brother, anata!" _Of course,_ Naruto thought, deeming himself a complete idiot for even thinking that his mother might _recognize_ him. What was she supposed to think? _'You look like my child that hasn't even been born yet!'_ Naruto was overthinking this.

Minato scratched the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly, "Mehh, we're not-"

"And no warning, Minato? Really, our guest deserves to be welcomed properly and I cannot do that when you don't warn me!" she hit Minato lightly across the shoulder before ushering them in. "Come in, come in! Dinner is ready in ten minutes and the table is already set! I'll just set another plate out, make yourself comfortable!"

The two men were ushered through to the dining room where they sat across from each other and exchanged smirks.

"She always gets a little excited when I bring guests around," Minato whispered as soon as Kushina left to go check on something in the kitchen. "She's not always like this, I promise."

Naruto laughed just then, true and wholesome, as he watched how Minato deflated a bit in the presence of his fiery wife. It reminded him a little of how he felt when Hinata, though rarely, scolded him for being late. He couldn't imagine the scolding he'd receive when he returned back to his time after who knows how long... he wasn't quite sure how all this time travel stuff worked. Was time continuing to pass in the present as he lived in the past? He hoped for his family and the village's sake that is wasn't.

"Hot, homemade miso ramen with extra pork and naruto!" Kushina announced, carrying a steaming pot out of the kitchen. At the mention of his name, Naruto perked up, but quickly realized Kushina was simply talking about the swirly naruto in the soup.

"Oh!" she jumped a little and Naruto worried she might drop the pot all over herself. "I never introduced myself. How silly! I'm Kushina, Minato's wife, if you didn't already pick that up." Her giggle brought butterflies to Naruto's stomach. He wished more than anything he could hug his mother right now.

"My name's Naruto," he said.

At this, Kushina paused for a moment. Her eyes fell soft and she whispered, "Oh, I like that name!"

To change the subject, Naruto offered to help serve the ramen. Kushina shooed him back to his seat where she insisted she would serve her guest.

Their bowls were served and now Naruto's stomach was really aching. He hadn't eaten a thing since yesterday and his body felt like it had gone through hell and back from his 'travels'.

"Thank you, uh... Kushina. Miso pork ramen is actually my favorite," he chuckled as he smiled kindly to the red-headed woman sitting beside him. He still felt a little weird when she looked at him. It seemed she was examining his every move and motive--he felt like he was being analyzed.

"Oh! Mine too," she chimed with a soft smile, though her eyes still looked curiously upon the other yellow-haired, blue-eyed man sitting at her dining table. Naruto knew how much he and his father looked alike. He just hoped the 'Namikaze' excuse would be enough to wade off any suspicions.

"Itadakimasu!" the three of them sang before digging in.

There wasn't a whole lot of talk between the three as they slurped and drank their soup, other than the occasional small-talk from Kushina about Minato's day at work. It sounded robotic, like routine, yet fell nothing short of wholesome and meaningful. It wasn't long before Kushina was off in her own world, talking to her heart's content. At some point, Naruto glanced over to his father and noticed the soft smile pressing on his lips as he listened to his wife talk.

"-and did you hear? Mikoto announced today that she's _pregnant!_ Again!Can you believe it? She's already four months along! And I heard one of the flower shop ladies saying-" It quickly turned from news to gossip and Naruto smirked as he watched his mother passionately share every piece of information she'd gained today. Nothing of particular interest to him--one woman said another woman was fat, such and such's father had an affair with a younger woman...

Despite his lack of interest in the topics, it was still nice to see his mother in such a good mood, passionately sharing her stories. And, Naruto supposed, Minato felt the same way.

"So you're a Namikaze then?" she quickly changed the topic and it took Minato and Naruto by surprise. Both men snapped their heads up and tuned back in to the (one-sided) conversation.

"Mm, yes I am," Naruto hummed, fiddling nervously with his fingers under the table. This was where it mattered. This was where he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. If there was anyone he was sure would call out any inconsistencies, it would be his mother. With the way she detailed out the gossip earlier, he was sure she'd be able to see right through his lies.

"It's not hard to tell. You and Minato look nearly identical!"

Naruto had to laugh to hide his panic, "Heh, y-yeah. I guess we do."

"Our guest has had a long day, anata. We should let him get settled down and rest," Minato finally joined in the conversation, to Naruto's relief.

"Of course," Kushina said. "I'll go make you a bed on the couch. It's not much but it'll do for now!" She scurried off and the two men were left alone in the kitchen. As they cleared the table, Naruto took some deep breaths. _Thank the gods that was over._

Naruto settled down on the couch, nimbly laying the blanket out and hunkering down. Kushina and Minato had disappeared long ago after offering every kind of amenity--drinks, snacks, more blankets, pillows... Naruto felt so welcomed in this home, yet couldn't quite get comfortable. It was the the massive lie he was telling and the knowledge he was carrying that weighed down on him and kept him from getting any decent sleep that night. He wanted nothing more than to let go and tell his parents everything.

It was like watching them step towards him and reach out unknowingly while an inferno burned behind them in their wake. Naruto could stop it. He could reach out and... just a few words...

Though he knew saving them could cause more trouble than good. There was no saying what could happen if Naruto took that chance--how things could change; how lives might be affected; how the outcome of the entire world and future could shift. And while some good would surely come out of it, Naruto couldn't deny that the bad might be much worse.

After all, only time can tell how things will turn out, and messing with it might just tell disaster.


End file.
